Tractor truck loader



Feb. 22, 1938. c. J, VILLERUP 2,199,440

TRACTOR TRUCK LOADER VFiled No'v. 2o, 1936 :s sheets-sheet 1 n V w F01122,`1938 c. J. VILLERUP v- 2,109,440.v

TRACTOR TRUCK LOADER I Filed Nov. 20, 1936 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Villecg.

ATTORNEY Feb.22, 1938. n c. .1. VILLERU'P A ,A 2,109,440

I l TRACTOR TRUCK LOADER Filed NOV. 20, 1936.' 3 vSheets-Sheet 3 TVille/"w77 l ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 2z, 193s UN1TED STATES PATENT OFFICE'raac'ron TRUCK LOADER Chris J. Vilierup, Glasgow, Mont. ApplicationNovember zo, 1936, sel-1am. 111,913

This invention relates to-tractor truck loaders and has for an object toprovide apparatus winch may be mounted on a conventional caterpillartractor and which will include a bucket which may be thrust forward intothe material to be loaded by.advancing the tractor then may be raised todumping position and the contents thereof discharged into a box whichmay be filled and later elevated to discharge its contentsinto l0 atruck or other conveyance or may be maintained in elevated position toprovide a chute for delivering the contents of the bucket to a truckparked in back of the tractor. v

A further object is to vprovide apparatus of this character which may beeasily controlled by a single Yoperator and will be formed of a fewstrong simple and durable parts, which will be easy to manufacture, andwhich will not easily get out of order.

With the above andbther objects in view the invention consists ofcertain novel details of construction and combinations of partshereinafter fully described and claimed, it being understood thatvarious modications may be resorted towithin the scope of the appendedAclaims without departing fromA the spirit or sacricing any of theadvantages of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings forming part 'ing' the box supportingframe, the winding drums for raising and lowering the bucket and clutchcontrolled mechanism for rotating the drums.

Figure 4 is a detail sectional view taken on the 4a line 4-4 of Figure3.

iFigure 5 is a detail cross sectional view taken en the line 5-5 ofFigure 4 showing the trip lever for de-clutching the clutch at the upperlimit of movement of the bucket.

15 Figure 6 is a detail sectional view showing the trip device forreleasing the dump gate of the bucket. t'

Figure 7 is a detail rear elevation of the actuating pulley of the beltdrive. A

.'41 Referring now to'the drawings in'which like characters of referencedesignate similar. parts in the various views, I0 designates aconventional caterpillar tractor. In carrying out the invention asubstantially rectangular frame is suspended from the chassis of thecaterpillar tractor (Cl. Zblby brackets I2. A pair of uprights I3 risefrom the longitudinal members of the frame about midway the ends thereofand a. pair of rearwardly inclined bars I I are secured to the rear endsof the. longitudinal members. The uprights 5 and the bars support asubstantially rectangular frame I5. The'parts just enumerated form thesupporting' frame structure for a bucket I6 and a box I1.

The bucket I6 is provided with rearwardly ex- 10 tending Aarms I8 whichare pivoted at the rear ends on 'stub shafts I9 that project from thelongitudinal sills of the frame near the rear ends thereof. A pair ofbooms support the lifting cables 20 of the bucket, each boom comprisinga l5 pair of arms 2| which are pivoted at their lower ends upon the samestub shaft I9 to which the arms I8 of the bucket are pivoted,and thesetarms 2| incline upwardly and forwardly on either side of the associatedarm I8 of the bucket. 'l'he zo lifting cables 20 are trained overpulleys :22 carrled by the upper ends of each pair of arms 2| and overpulleys 23 carried by the bucketarms I8.

One end of each cable is xedly secured toi the longitudinal sills of theupper supporting drame 25 I|by clamps 24 and the opposite end isconnected to a winding drum 25 fixed to a transverse shaft 26 which issupportedin bearings 2l on the longitudinal sills. The shaft is powerdriven by means of a gear train 28 so that the cables may 30 be woundupon the drums to lift the bucket I6' shown by dotted lines in Figure 1.

A dump gate` 29 forms the rear wall of the bucket the gate being pivotedat its upper edge to the bucket as shown at 30. 'I'he gate is nor- 40mally held closed by an angular catch 3| which is pivoted at its elbowonthe bottom of the bucket as shown at 32 and terminates in a hook whichengages over the rear face of the dump gate at the bottom thereof. Thelever is nor- 45 mally held inv its latching position by an expansionspring 33 which is connected to the catch and to a bracket 34 fixed tothe bottom of the bucket. When' the bucket iselevated to its dump- 50ing position the long-leg of the angular. catch 3| impinges against across bar 35 which connects the upper ends of the uprights I3 and isrocked by. the cross bar to disengage from the dump gate and permit theweight of the con.- -55 shown in dotted lines.

tents to rock the gate open to dumping position as shown by dottedlines.

'I'he beforementioned box I1 is hinged as shown at 36 near the rear endof the bottom of the rear transverse bar 31 of the frame I5 so that thebox may be tilted4 upwardly to the dumping position The front end of thebox is closed by the door 38 which is pivoted at the bottom as shown at39 to the bottom of the box., A lever 40 is pivoted at the bottom, asshown at 4I, to the front transverse bar 42 of the frame I5 and at theupper end is pivoted as shown at 43 to a lug 44 which projects from thefront side of the door 38 near the upper end thereof. As the box iselevated at the front end the lever 40 pulls the door 38 to openposition, shown best in Figure 6. In this position of the parts the boxI1 may constitute a, trough to receive the contents ofthe bucket I6 anddeliver the same to a truck, freight car, or the like, where loading ofmaterial such as beets, or other material, is to be performed.

The rear end of the box I'l is closed by a dump gate 45 which is hingedat its top as shown at 46.

to the box and is provided with a pair of crank arms 4l. The crankarmsare connected to the upper ends of levers 48 which are pivotedintermediate their ends as shown at 49 to brackets 58 that rise from therear transverse member 3l of the frame I5. When the front end of the boxis elevated the rear end will be lowered and during this movement thelevers 48 will rock the crank arms 49 to open the dump gate 45 andpermit the contents of the box to he discharged.

The box is elevated 'by the piston 50 of a conventional hydrauliccylinder 5I that is mounted on the oor boards of the tractor and iscontrolled by a lever 52 of conventional type. A roller 53 is disposedon the top of the hydraulic piston 50 to engage the bottom of the boxI'I near the front thereof.

For actuating the winding drums -25 a belt drive 54 is driven from apulley 55 bolted to the fly Wheel as shown at 56 in Figure 7, and drivesa shaft 51, which is suitably supported by the frame I5, and extendslongitudinally thereof as shown in Figure 1. The shaft is provided witha bevel pinion 58, best shown in Figure 3, which meshes with a bevelgear 59 that is xe'd to a transverse shaft 60 suitably supported by theframe I5. The shaft 60 is equipped with a gear` 6I which forms theinitial gear of the beforementioned gear train 28.

As also shown in Figure 3, the shaft-5l is provided with a frictionclutch including a drum 62 which is fixed to one section of the shaft 5las is customary, and including a flanged friction disc 63 the hub 64 ofwhich is splined to the other section of the shaft 51 as is customary.The shipper 65 of the splined member may be actuated by a lever 66 toengage the clutch when it is desired to windvup the cables 20 on thedrums 25.

A brake band 61, best shown in Figure 4, is xed at one end to a bracket63 which is carried by one of the longitudinal bars of the frame I5. Thebrake band is connectedto a pull cord 69 which extends to an angularlever T0, best shown in Figure 1. The lever is controlled by aconventional dog and segment 'l I. When the bucket arrives at its upperlimit of movement the operator may actua'te the lever 1I! to tighten thebrake band and stop any momentum thereof and at the same time detain thebucket in its elevated position until the load is dumped. The brake bandmay be slacked during gravitation g return of the bucket.

As above stated the clutch may be operated by the lever 66. However, itis automatically operated at the moment the bucket arrives at itsdumping position and for this purpose, as best shown in Figure 5,asubstantially Z-shaped trip lever I2 is pivotally mounted as shown at13, on a longitudinal bar of the frame I5. AOne end of the lever'isconnected ,by a turnbuckle I4 to the shipper 65. The other end of thelever is provided with a laterally extending stop pin 15 which projectsinto the path of movement of one of the booms 2l so that, as best shownin Figure 1, when the latter arrives at its upper limit of movement itwill impinge against the lever 6E and swing the lever 'I2 to disengagethe clutch. A helical expansion spring I6 returns the lever 'I2 toneutral position after each actuation.

Since a description of the operation has been given as the descriptionof the parts progressed, it is thought that the construction andoperation will be fully understood without further explanation. y

What is claimed is:

1. The combination with a tractor, of a supporting frame, a bucketpivotally mounted on` the frame, means for rocking the bucket upwardlyto dumping position, a box open at both ends hinged to the frame inposition to receive the dumped contents of the bucket, hinged closuresfor the ends of the box, crank arms connected to the hinges of theclosures, levers connected to the lframe and to the crank arms andadapted to open the closures when the box is rocked upwardly at theforward end to form a trough for receiving the contents of the bucket,and hydraulic means for raising and lowering the box.

2. The combination with a tractor, of a sup'- porting frame, a bucketpivotally mounted on the frame, drum and cable means for elevating thebucket to dumping position, a dump gate for I the bucket, a springcontrolled catch normally holding the gate closed, a stop carried by theframe disposed in the path of movement of the catch for dislodging thecatch when the bucket arrives at dumping position, a box open atA bothends pivotcd on the frame below the dumping' position of the bucket,hinged closures for the ends of the box,lnieans connected to the hinges-of the closures and tol the frame for opening the closures when the boxis rocked on its pivot whereby a chute is formed to deliver the contentsdumped through'the open gate of the bucket, and means for 'elevating thebox at the front end. f

CHRIS J. VILLERUP.

